Murray calls for tougher doping measures

Andy Murray has called for tennis' governing bodies to fund more drugs testing

Andy Murray believes tennis must tighten doping controls to avoid a repeat of the scandals which have engulfed cycling.

The doctor at the centre of the Operacion Puerto case in Spain has admitted to working with tennis players, just weeks after Lance Armstrong's belated admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his Tour de France wins.

"If one in 100 players is doping, then, in my eyes, that isn't a clean sport," said Murray, who was speaking at The Queen's Club in London as he announced his participation in June's AEGON Championships.

"I think it's essential that the names and whoever was involved within it (Operacion Puerto), it's essential for tennis that that comes out. Not just tennis, all sports just now, need to look very closely at this stuff.

"A lot's been learned from what happened with the Lance Armstrong situation. You don't want that happening ever again. I don't want that happening for my sport, because it would be terrible."

Murray believes tennis' lack of blood testing is simply due to finance. The 25-year-old Olympic and US Open champion would be happy for funds players receive to be reduced, if it meant more stringent controls.

"It's down to our governing bodies and the ATP to invest some of our own money into WADA and making sure we get more testing done," Murray said.

"That's the only way you can improve your testing procedures, by having more of them. In the long term I think you save money. I think more people would come to watch sport, rather than reading all the time about these doping scandals or match-fixing or whatever it is. Every single week right now there's something different and it's bad for sport."

Challenging for victory in the French Open is Murray's next major goal. He will start hitting balls in Miami next week and knows he will have to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal to win at Roland Garros.

"He's been hitting balls for a while now, quite a few weeks," Murray said. "Provided physically he's good and he's getting enough matches, I'm sure by the French Open he'll be in good shape. I have an opportunity there. I'm not going in as the favourite; my results wouldn't justify that. But I have a chance."